James Bell - Deadlock

He bounced the ball a couple of times, looked at the basket, then launched his shot into the air. It arced beautifully, then hit the front of the rim and clanked out.

Jack stood there, frozen, as if couldn’t believe he’d missed.

“Good thing we’ve got all day,” Millie said.

This novel would not have been possible without the help of many special people.

Professor John Eastman of Chapman University School of Law, former clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas, walked me through much of the Supreme Court’s day-to-day operations as well as many of the legal aspects of the novel. One of the “smart guys,” he is a credit to his students, his school, and the enterprise of American law. Any mistakes that appear in the book are mine alone.

On the issue of the role of the Declaration of Independence in modern Constitutional jurisprudence, I am indebted to one of my old law professors, Ronald Garet, of the law school at the University of Southern California. His insights were invaluable, and he continues to challenge his students to think about the law from a moral and religious angle, and not merely as a high-paying profession.

Profound thanks for their time and knowledge go to my colleagues and friends Randy Alcorn, Terri Blackstock, Mel and Cheryl Hodde, and Angela Elwell Hunt.

I owe a huge debt to my editor, Dave Lambert. Dave knows whereof he speaks when it comes to fiction, so when he spoke (or, rather, issued one of his famous “Dave letters”) I listened. His insights made this a better book. Thanks, Dave.

Sue Brower, and indeed the entire team at Zondervan, are likewise a pleasure to work with. I’m honored to be part of their list.

As always, my first editor was my wife, Cindy, who is everything a husband – especially the pesky writing kind – could hope for. My children, Nathaniel and Allegra, have also come to accept that their father is a writer with certain odd quirks, and love me anyway. I couldn’t ask for better support than that.

I consulted dozens of resources in the research phase of the book. The Ohio case mentioned in the novel is based upon an actual decision of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and a superb opinion by the Honorable David A. Nelson, Circuit Judge. The main issue of this book is also as stated by Judge Nelson: “We might wish that the framers of the Constitution had chosen to give us the powers of a council of revision,” he wrote, “but they did not do so.” Which means we must continue to grapple with the proper role of judges in our Constitutional system.

That issue is fully and fairly explored in A Matter of Interpretation: Federal Courts and the Law by Justice Antonin Scalia (Princeton University Press, 1997). This is an exchange between Justice Scalia and four distinguished critics, including Harvard’s Lawrence H. Tribe. For further discussion, the interested party should not neglect The Tempting of America: The Political Seduction of the Law by Robert H. Bork (Free Press, 1990).

For those who desire a picture of the Supreme Court from the ultimate insider, I cannot recommend highly enough The Supreme Court by William H. Rehnquist (Knopf, 2001). It is a warm tribute to the Court, detailed and well written. For those who want to analyze a view of the Court from the other side of the political spectrum, see Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court by Edward Lazarus (Penguin, 1998).

Bill Bonassi’s quotations from Jefferson, Madison, and John Adams, and his discussion of biblical metaphysics as part of the American Constitutional fabric, are taken from Michael Novak’s On Two Wings: Humble Faith and Common Sense at the American Founding (Encounter Books, 2002). This is a brilliant and scholarly review of the founders’ system of political belief. Not many books can be considered so authoritative that they should be required reading for every American citizen. Novak’s is one of them.

“Once the heart hears the music it is never really happy unless it is dancing.” That insight comes from Robert Benson’s book Living Prayer, which I highly recommend to all seekers of the open door.

The issues surrounding abortion continue, of course, to divide our nation. David Pollock, Executive Director of the Pregnancy Resource Center of the San Fernando Valley, was an incredible help on this topic. Others who offered insights on the legal, moral, and medical aspects of abortion procedures were Dr. David C. Reardon of the Elliott Institute; Kurt Entsminger, Esq., Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Care Net; and Dr. Kari Scott, M.D. I regret that my attempts to secure interviews with leading abortion rights spokespersons did not meet with more success. William Lutz, media relations contact for the National Abortion Rights Action League, did give me an overview of NARAL’s position on informed consent laws. I also turned to a good deal of the abortion rights groups’ publicly disseminated material, much of it online. Please note that the National Parental Planning Group is a fictional entity, and any resemblance to an actual organization or clinic is purely coincidental.

On the political side of the abortion debate, I am grateful for time and information from the following: Rep. Bob Shaffer of Colorado, his press secretary William Mutch, and his chief legislative assistant Erika Lestelle; Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania and his press secretary Gabe Neville.

Finally, heartfelt thanks to my church family, who continue to support me with their prayers, encouragement, and good fellowship.

James Scott Bell is the best-selling author of eight previous novels. A winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, he resides with his family in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his next book. His Web site is www.jamesscottbell.com.